A Stylish Gray-and-Gold Seattle Wedding

Jessica and Todd

Jessica Ritt is not what you'd call a sports fan—so when Todd Jacobs invited her to a Knicks game in October of 2013, he knew he was taking a chance. "I thought it would be an easy way for us to get to know each other," he says. Luckily, he recalls, "she said yes, and we had a great time, even if the Knicks did not—they lost." That fateful first date was two years in the making. The New York City-based pair had been crossing paths since 2011, when they first met through mutual friends. Though it took a while to get their timing right, it was worth the wait. "It just felt comfortable from the start," says Jess, a publicist.

Fast-forward a little more than a year, and Todd, a principal at a real estate company, surprised Jess with a proposal in their apartment on his 30th birthday. Right after she accepted, both sets of parents walked in the door; Todd had own them in so everyone could celebrate together.

Planning began with choosing a wedding destination, and there was no question: It would take place in Jess's beloved hometown of Seattle. And the couple had a head start on the research. "I had looked at every venue possible the year before, when my sister was getting married," Jess says. For their ceremony, they chose the rooftop of a downtown space in the heart of the city. The venue didn't usually do weddings but made an exception in their case. "Todd and I really wanted a place that wasn't typical," Jess says. "We hoped it would be exciting and unexpected for our guests." Planners Steven and Jamie Moore reimagined the space, removing planters and unbolting benches so they could work with a clean slate.

By the time all 225 friends and family members arrived for the ceremony on October 10, 2015, the rooftop was a vision of Lucite, green foliage, and white flowers under a clear, modern tent. This being Seattle, "it was pouring rain up until the second our ceremony started," Todd says. "The sun started to come back out right when we were walking down the aisle."

After a traditional Jewish ceremony followed by a cocktail hour, buses transported guests to nearby Union Station, a former train depot that's awash in white marble—the ideal backdrop for the reception's festive gold-and-gray palette. Partygoers watched the newlyweds dance to Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" before a sit-down three-course meal of king crab legs and other regional foods. At around midnight, the band gave way to a DJ and everyone refueled with late-night mac 'n' cheese poppers, potato puffs, and mini Reuben sandwiches.

After the best night of her life, it's safe to say that Jess had no regrets about having said yes to that basketball game, and to Todd. From start to finish, the celebration was a slam dunk.

"I never fully felt like myself in the white dresses I was trying on, and I had a vision of wearing gray from the start," Jess says. But after failing to find a gray gown she liked, she gave up and ordered one in white. Then, two months before the big day, her mom came across a gray Alexandra Vidal gown at Bergdorf Goodman. "I went to see it in person, just for fun," she says. "It was so unexpected but still felt bridal. It was everything I was hoping for!"

Gray Velvet Pumps

Special Accessories

Though her gray dress bucked tradition, Jess did incorporate old, new, borrowed, and blue details: Her wedding ring was her great-great-grandmother's plain gold band. Her mom gave her a diamond-and-gold Marco Bicego bracelet just for the occasion, while the diamond earrings were on loan from her mother-in-law. "They were the first ones she showed me, and they were perfect," she says. The final touch: blue undergarments.

Planner Steven Moore strove to create "an amazing secret garden"—and succeeded, with a simple yet stunning white-and-green palette and ethereal details. The crystal chandeliers almost didn't make it, arriving just one day before the wedding. Six 12-foot maple trees were brought in for the ceremony (two more were added for the reception). They're now planted at the bride's parents' house in Seattle.

The dessert table and its several cakes created a dramatic focal point. The towering confections were made with architectural tiers and gold-leaf brushstrokes. Beneath the white fondant was carrot cake with cream-cheese icing. Mini on-palette treats included salted-caramel pots de crème and an elegant take on s'mores, served with espresso cocktails.